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US's Global Chess Game w/ China: Next Monstrous Move, Iran

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US preparations for a war against Iran are not directed at stopping the country’s alleged nuclear weapons program, but at furthering Washington’s hegemony over the strategic, energy-rich regions of the Middle East and Central Asia. The US has not abandoned the aim that drove the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq: to exercise control over the oil and gas supplies of its European and Asian rivals.

One of the Obama administration’s main objectives in joining the NATO bombing of Libya was to undermine China’s growing influence in the Middle East and Africa. The war on Libya put billions of dollars of Chinese projects in jeopardy. An oil embargo or military conflict with Iran would have far greater economic consequences for China. Iran is the source of 11 percent of China’s oil imports and the destination of large Chinese investments in the construction and energy sectors.

Just last November the US and Australia announced a new agreement to station US troops in the north of that country and otherwise expand American military and intelligence operations in a move patently directed against China.

By recklessly raising the political temperature in the Persian Gulf, the Obama administration has heightened the danger of a slide towards military conflict that threatens to engulf the region and spread internationally. The only force that can prevent such a catastrophe is the international working class. It must be mobilized against imperialist war and its root cause, the profit system and its outmoded division of the world into competing nation states, on the basis of the program of world socialist revolution.

Mr. Symonds elaborates even further on the latest provocative US-Obama global war-mongering and, specifically, Iran-baiting shenanigans, unquestioned, of course, by US media and a myopic citizenry:

In the latest sharp exchange of words, the US yesterday brushed aside an Iranian warning that the American aircraft carrier, USS John C. Stennis should not return to the Persian Gulf as it constitutes a threat to Iran.

The US and the European Union have deliberately raised tensions in the Gulf with further economic sanctions that could cripple the already weakened Iranian economy. On Saturday, President Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) that includes a measure to penalise foreign companies doing business with Iran’s central bank, potentially blocking Iranian oil exports. Later this month, the EU will consider an embargo on imports of Iranian oil by its member states.

snip

Tehran has responded to Washington’s economic warfare by threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz in the event of restrictions on its oil exports. The US Navy has pointedly warned that it “will not tolerate” any constraint on access to the Gulf. The American and international media have seized on Iranian naval exercises and the test firing of new missiles to demonise Iran, denounce Iranian “aggression” and trumpet the dangers of a “nuclear Iran.”

Once again an American administration is using unsubstantiated claims about nuclear weapons to generate public panic and create the political climate for a reckless military adventure. The recent comments of US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who declared that Iran could have a nuclear weapon within a year and warned that the US would “take whatever steps necessary to deal with it,” echo the belligerent rhetoric of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in 2002 as they prepared to invade Iraq.

In a presidential election year, Obama is under pressure from his potential Republican rivals to adopt an even more bellicose posture toward Iran. Last Sunday presidential candidate Rick Santorum declared that he would “degrade” Iran’s nuclear facilities through air strikes unless Tehran agreed to dismantle them. The White House is also being pressed by Israel to take action against Iran.

Iran has been central to the Obama administration’s calculations in the Middle East over the past year. Having been taken by surprise by the upheavals in Tunisia and Egypt, the US and its European allies exploited anti-government protests in Libya to intervene militarily with a criminal bombing campaign to oust Gaddafi and install a client regime in Tripoli. Now similar methods are being used against Iran’s key regional ally—the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

The Obama administration has already taken steps to consolidate its military presence in Kuwait and other Gulf states, including Bahrain, the headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. With Washington’s encouragement, the recent Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh approved the creation of a formal “union” that involves security cooperation against external threats—implicitly Iran.

Last Thursday, the White House highlighted a major $30 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, a US ally and Iran’s longstanding rival for regional influence in the Gulf. The following day, the US announced a $3.5 billion deal to sell sophisticated missile defence systems to the United Arab Emirates. Last November, the Obama administration proposed another arms deal to the UAE that included bunker-buster bombs—the obvious target being Iran’s underground nuclear and military facilities.

Hmmmmm. Lots of blatant dots to be connected it would seem (save by a craven US media and clueless citizenry).

Yes, the Israeli government seems to be clearly doing all it can to push a seemingly “deliberate and rational” Obama to pull the trigger on Iran asap, but such caution on Obama’s part has nothing to do with humanitarian reluctance to wage another monstrous war, insanely costly in terms of lives and money. If you are clinging to that myth about Obama there is a bridge to Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.

We know a political gamesman, never statesman, like Obama feels the AIPAC pressure and as Symonds reminds us is facing down super-neocon Republicans (save Paul) in 2012. We know the “war on terror” media-enabled hysteria justifying the fascistic erasing of our civil liberties at an ever-escalating rate is a factor that encourages Obama’s amoral hyper-militarism once again for election ambitions and placation of his pimp corporatists. This, after winning the 2008 election primarily on the promise to put an end to the wars -- which Obama will try to obscenely cash in on “technically” regarding the faux Iraq withdrawal. His campaign is now into full-out “spin cycle."

OBAMA IS PLAYING GLOBAL CHESS FOR, LET’S FACE IT, THE OLIGARCHICAL GANGSTERS DESTROYING QUALITY OF LIFE ACROSS THE GLOBE for economic domination, now so very interested in the resource rich Middle East and Africa!

This inevitable war with Iran (HELLO????? same Iraq playbook -- pre-emptive offensive defense bullshit) has to do with Obama’s and his oligarch puppeteers’ (who are also puppeteers for all of our politicians save a precious few -- you know, the ones you can count on one hand with plenty of fingers left over) (and you can throw in the European and old and newbie Mideast and old and newbie African puppets of the oligarch gangsters) LONG GAME of proxy war with CHINA!

Remember the anti-communism domino theory hysteria that cake-walked us into the Vietnam War? Well, the US and NATO are the shameless perpetrating dominos dominators at this point (to add another game metaphor -- you can handle it).

And let’s face it, except for non-interventionist, marginalized and domestic policy troubling Ron Paul, there’s no dog in the upcoming US election race for anyone remotely interested in ending wars and promoting human rights. So Obama OR whoever wins from the Republican column are PROXY PUPPETS about to wage yet another PROXY WAR with China, with next target Iran. How many notches of devastated countries will Obama get on his belt even before a possible second term at the same time I am told by way too many coworkers and friends that that nice Obama is doing the best he can?

After Obama’s signing the NDAA and trashing due process for American citizens and, the rancid frosting on that cake, his BIG LIE that he just HAD to sign it to fund the troops (which Carl Levin disproved on the very floor of the Senate -- it was SOOOOOO Obama’s quest and insisted language within for codifying illegitimate anti-constitutional executive overreach and there was no ethical and legal hesitation on his part). if Obama hasn’t finally jumped the proverbial shark for the dismayingly loyal gaga Obama apologists, then I despair even more over the naivete and lack of critical thought let alone lack of conscience of the vast majority of our citizenry.

Obama and his amiable media persona, his craven and media-enabled “the devil (a/k/a GOP) made me do it” deflection of responsibility, should have been processed and mourned by now. To have him still playing “Lucy and the football” with fake-out hopey-change "lesser of two evils" bullshit another election is CHILLING!

I am listening to the supposedly best and the brightest proactive progressives on MSNBC right now reviewing Iowa caucus Republican racehorse politics and assuring their audience that Obama has a good chance still of winning. Whew.

Whew? I don’t think so. How much real light exists between Obama with his anti-humane leadership and the hawk Republican clowns?

Let me end this particular rant by simply listing the 14 characteristics of fascism. We’re there, Baby, and the Obama administration finished us off.

I wouldn’t be “ranting” if I didn’t think there was hope, but I tell you, we need a lot more Sons and Daughters of Liberty in America in 2012 to restore what so many sacrificed so much for in this nation’s history. We need to turn this ship of state around. Is it too much to ask to have a decent human being, human beings, leading this country? Ones that respect “Thou shalt not kill,” “Do no harm,” “Do unto others ...”, etc.????

We need a paradigm shift to humanism’s partnership and cooperation. We have a patriarchy addicted to power and control. I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of having my quality of life and the lives of my fellow men and women, globally, damaged by amoral gangster power/greed addicts, whether they are politicians or oligarchical puppeteers!

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
4. Supremacy of the Military
5. Rampant Sexism
6. Controlled Mass Media
7. Obsession with National Security
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
9. Corporate Power is Protected
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
14. Fraudulent Elections

Comments

Well Libby, it's a good thing to have folks finally raising the alarm about the impending hostilities. I've been making post after post for quite some time about this, my main point being that there have not been a series of wars in the past decade, there has been an ongoing single energy war being waged on multiple fronts, and it's going to get a lot worse.

It is as if people regarded WWII as separate wars in Europe, Asia, the Soviet Union, and North Africa.

It is a shame that we, as those opposed to the existing structures are always in a reactionary position, always fighting the current or last war.

It is also a shame that you've felt it necessary to degrade the scope and seriousness of the situation into yet another, by your own description, rant against Obama. I'm no apologist for Obama, but to continue to rage against the personality in the White House instead of focusing on the institutional, structural foundations of the problem is to divert attention from the real problem. Obama may be a worm, but there is no one who could occupy the Presidency who would or could be otherwise.

By concentrating on the demon you know, you ignore the actual army of hell.

I have to agree with you about the error of concentrating on the demon you know. Between that and touting a return to Biblical law, we're fucked. I told an acquaintance not long ago, when he asked about climate change, that homo sapiens is too stupid to do something about it in time and that nature will solve the problem for us. Keep on raging against the machine while the gears seize up and the water rises.

Winter is coming so PLEASE help lambert...

... who is going into the this winter having sunk a bundle into an insulating project so he doesn't bleed money into the air, for starters, and still needs to pay the bills so he can feed the hamsters that power the wheels that turn the servers at The Mighty Corrente Building. Please, won't you help keep the hamsters shiny and well-fed?

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